General Information » Australia Overview » Geography

Sydney is one of the most important ports in the South Pacific. Australia’s largest city is also the capital of the state of New South Wales, which covers just over 10% of Australia. Located on the south-eastern coast of the country, Sydney is 33º 55’ south of the equator, at longitude 151º 12’ east.

Sydney lies in the temperate zone. Further inland the climate is drier with hot days and cold nights, while up the coast to the north, the weather is warmer and more humid. The western plains, which cover more than half the state, are generally semi-arid. The wettest parts of the state are along the coast.

The Sydney Statistical Division spreads from the Blue Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east; from Lake Macquarie in the north to south of Botany Bay – an area covering over 12,000sqkm. Within that, the Sydney Metropolitan Area is equal in size to London. Bringing the focus in even tighter, the City of Sydney Local Government Area (LGA) covers around 26sqkm, including the central business district (CBD). The LGA was formed in 2004 by the merger of the City of Sydney and the (now defunct) City of South Sydney, despite some resistance by residents.

The A-list cities of the world are each defined by some unique characteristic. For Sydney, it is the harbour. This system of waterways courses through the heart of Sydney from east to west, and divides it into northern and eastern suburbs. The 240km of intricately carved shoreline frames 54sqkm of water.

The compact CBD is on a low ridge, with the rest of urban Sydney spilling out over low hills around the water. To the west of the CBD, on a small, craggy hill, lies the historic Rocks neighbourhood. Further west is Darling Harbour. Beyond the green swathe of The Domain and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kings Cross occupies the ridge to the east of the CBD, past Woolloomooloo.

Sydney’s attraction lies in its mix of city life and a gorgeous natural environment. With a magnificent harbour as focus, sandstone cliffs, pretty bays, long stretches of beach and brilliant natural light, it’s easy to see why Sydney is one of the world’s great cities.